Priyanka Chopra: Dont want to come to terms with the loss of my father

Actress and a multi-faceted achiever to the world at large, Priyanka Chopra was every bit her daddy's little girl when she attended the inauguration of the Lt Col Ashok Chopra Marg in Andheri, named in her father's honour. Dr Chopra lost his battle with cancer a year ago and despite the immensity of her loss, she resumed work with a vengeance soon after. PC still refuses to grieve, but is proud of how her father, his philanthropic work and his achievements are being celebrated by those whose lives he touched.

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"At his chautha, people came for him, not me. We couldn't stop meeting people," she says. Her mother, Madhu Chopra adds, "The decision to name the road was taken unanimously by the society and he got a great recommendation from the Army because of his work and the funds he raised for the war widows. Even from the film industry, technicians, lightmen and junior artistes from various associations supported the decision."

Priyanka decided to take a two-day break from the shoot of Dil Dhadakne Do when it was decided that the inauguration would coincide with Dr Chopra's first death anniversary (June 10). "People sometimes ask me whether this happened because of Priyanka Chopra. I tell them I'm here because I'm his daughter. My father was a sensitive man, who helped everyone out of the goodness of his heart, not because he considered it philanthropy," she says. In fact, her earliest memories are of him raising funds for the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA). "He'd do fundraisers for AWWA, singing Rafi and Kishore Kumar songs on stage and playing Punjabi Tambola. In Bareilly, every week we'd go in an ambulance to nearby villages and offer medical help. I was the compounder, in charge of handing out the medicine. I took my job very seriously," PC reminisces.


The pinch of her father's absence is obvious in her words, but the actress insists firmly, "I don't want to come to terms with the loss. Perhaps I've not dealt with it... I have a divine relationship with my father. You'll never see me grieving. I was told this by someone who'd lost a parent, 'Your parents only leave you when you are ready to take the baton from them'. My dad went through a lot for my brother and me and left us at a place where we could look after each other."



While PC's put up a brave front, her mother has noticed a change in her daughter. As a parent, she feels that talking about her father would be cathartic for Priyanka, who has become the support system for the entire family. Says Madhu, "She's not given me a minute to think about my loss and has spoilt me silly in this one year. I had a textbook perfect marriage, so I had to take measures to get over the loss. But, Priyanka, she goes about caring for everybody like she always has. She has created a wall around her but her bindaas hansi is missing. I'm proud of her."